Mum saves lives of two young sons by ‘pulling them from burning car before it exploded’

Mellisa Grant says she pulled her two children out of the burning Vauxhall Corsa (right). (Reach)
Mellisa Grant says she pulled her two children out of the burning Vauxhall Corsa (right). (Reach) (Reach)

A mum of two young sons has revealed how she saved the lives of her children by pulling them out of a car that had caught fire.

Mellisa Grant, 27, was driving her Vauxhall Corsa in Brownhills, Walsall, West Midlands, on Friday evening with her sons Braidan, three, and Bradley, one, in the back seats.

She had turned the heating on to de-mist the car but she soon noticed the passenger footwell had caught fire.

Mrs Grant says she threw Braidan away from the car as she struggled to get Bradley out of his car seat – and the family made it out just in time before the vehicle “exploded”.

She raced to a nearby house and "threw up" on the lawn as she dialled 999.

Firefighters attended the scene after the Vauxhall Corsa caught fire. (Reach)
Firefighters attended the scene after the Vauxhall Corsa caught fire. (Reach) (Reach)

Recalling the incident on social media, Mrs Grant wrote: "Tonight my car set on fire with me and my two babies in it.

"I managed to get Braidan out of his car seat, but I couldn’t get Bradley out of his car seat, the car was engulfed in flames so I threw Braidan away from us because I wasn’t going to leave Bradley and I’ll die trying to save my baby and the car was going to explode any second.

"I managed to pull him out. Not caring at this point if I broke his arm because I pulled him so hard.

"I ran with the kids to the nearest house screaming for help. The car then exploded behind us as I was screaming.”

The car was left gutted following the fire on Friday evening. (Reach)
The car was left gutted following the fire on Friday evening. (Reach) (Reach)

Mrs Grant said the whole incident happened in “seconds” and she thought she “was going to die with my babies”, adding that the family have been left badly shaken by the ordeal.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Fire Service said: "West Midlands Fire Service were called to reports of a fire on Watling Street, Walsall, at 6.19pm on Friday, 26 November.

"Firefighters from Aldridge station attended and found a car on fire with the driver safely out of the vehicle after the assistance of a passer-by.

"Crews used breathing apparatus and a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire and provided oxygen therapy to the driver at the scene who was understandably shaken up by the incident."

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